Virtual Reality is going to be big this year, and while HTC is launching the Vive as a PC powered headset, the HTC name and integration of smartphone notifications has our interest. With headsets arriving in customers hands, iFixit has taken the opportunity to tear the headset down and now you can see what’s inside.
The teardown is for both the headset, as well as the innovative hand controllers that the Vive ships with, and iFixit found there’s some impressive hardware inside both. The Vive is encased in a plastic, IR emitter covered hood, with dual 1080p AMOLED displays with a combined resolution of 2160 x 1200 @ 90Hz refresh rate, offering a 110º horizontal field of view.
The Vive is covered in sensors – 32 in total just on the headset and there’s another 24 on each controller. The optics are also high-end with HTC using a lens to eye distance adjustment to control the focus of the headset.
Now. You just paid over a $1,000 for the Vive – are you going to repair it? Well, iFixit says it shouldn’t be too hard with a repairability score of 8 out of 10. The score was given based on an easily broken down headset with removable strap and facepads and good quality sensor/electronics which aren’t prone to failure. The use of standard Phillips and Torx screws is also a plus and re-using Steam Controller components means there’s easily replaceable parts available.
There are some down sides, with a user service manual required to attempt any repairs and of course there’s adhesive involved to secure various components – but still, an 8 out of 10 is a great score.
We loved the HTC Vive when we used it at IFA and at MWC, so if you get a chance to get hands-on with the HTC Vive we recommend you do it. It’s stunning.
